Russia will ramp up the production of Su-57 5th-generation stealth jet fighters amid the military operation in Ukraine, state-owned defense technology corporation Rostec has said.
“The Russian Air Force will receive new Su-57 jet fighters this year,” Rostec head Sergey Chemezov said on Thursday, according to the company’s Telegram channel.
He added that the “production speed of the jet fighters will be increased,” as the plant in Russia’s Far East is undergoing expansion and modernization in order to meet higher production demands.
Rostec said that a new assembly line and additional facilities have already been set up at the plant.
A highly maneuverable supersonic plane, the Su-57 has been designed to evade radars and strike aerial and ground targets, including air defense sites.
The news comes after President Vladimir Putin instructed for the military to be equipped with “additional” hardware. On Tuesday, he said the authorities must ensure a “continuous” work cycle at military factories and study equipment captured on the battlefield in Ukraine, including NATO-supplied weapons.